Clifford Joseph Harris, Jr., better known by his stage name T.I., and also by his alter ego T.I.P., is an American rapper, songwriter, actor, record, philanthropist, and executive producer as well as the co-CEO of Grand Hustle Records. T.I. released his third album Urban Legend in late 2004. Urban Legend instantly generated crossover success with the hit single "Bring 'Em Out".

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah (often abbreviated CYHSY) is an American indie rock group founded in New London, Connecticut and based in Brooklyn, New York and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Their debut album, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, was self-released in 2005.

When Matt & Kim started out approximately four years ago, they had no idea how to play their respective instruments—a fact that makes the band’s success story almost as unique as their distinctive brand ofsynth-and-drums dance punk.

After being forced to play their first show by a friend months after picking up their instruments, keyboardist/vocalist Matt Johnson and drummer/vocalist Kim Schifino played their first show in 2004. In 2006 the band released their self-titled debut—which was instantly embraced by critics and fans alike—and stayed on the road, performing at high profile events such as The Siren Music Festival and Lollapalooza. Their 2009 album Grand takes the band’s musicianship and songwriting to the next level and also serves as a glowing representation of how far Matt & Kim have come since their debut. From the anthemic opener “Daylight” to the harmony-rich, atmospheric ballad “Turn This Boat Around” and demented pop of “I Wanna,” Grand is quite literally the sound of the collective discovering their voice. “All of the songs on the last album we wrote the first year we learned how to play our instruments,” Matt acknowledges, “but this one is much more diverse and instead of thinking about the songs we thought of the album as a whole, too.”

Then there are the band’s legendary live shows, which look more like dance parties than traditional concerts and blur the line between musician and listener. “I really believe that a band should be honest when they play,” Matt explains. “We’re excited just to be able to play and we show it, as dorky as that can look.”

Stuedabakerbrown is one of New York’s most dedicated and exciting independent rock bands. They began playing extensively in 2001 and have since become a hometown favorite as well as a regional success. The band draws influences from legends such as U2 and Tom Petty, contemporaries like Coldplay and Jimmy Eat World, and the essence of mid-90’s alternative rock from their youth is evident in their songwriting. Boasting irresistible original songs, great success from their two EPs, and an unforgettable live performance, Stuedabakerbrown promises an unforgettable live performance!

Franz Ferdinand is an indie rock band that formed in Glasgow, Scotland in 2001. Named after Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, the band comprises Alex Kapranos (lead vocals and guitar), Bob Hardy (bass guitar), Nick McCarthy (rhythm guitar, keyboards and backing vocals), and Paul Thomson (drums, percussion and backing vocals). The band first experienced chart success when their second single "Take Me Out" reached #3 in the UK Charts, followed by their debut album "Franz Ferdinand" which debuted on the UK album chart at #3. The band went on to win the 2004 Mercury Music Prize and two BRIT Awards in 2005 for Best British Group and Best British Rock Act. NME named Franz Ferdinand as their Album of the Year. From the album, four top-ten singles were released, "Take Me Out", "The Dark of the Matinée", "This Fire" and "Michael."

Death Cab for Cutie (often shortened to Death Cab or DCFC) is an American indie pop rock band formed in Bellingham, Washington in 1997.

Ben Folds (born September 12, 1966, in Winston-Salem, North Carolina) is an American singer-songwriter and the former frontman of the musical group Ben Folds Five. He is widely acclaimed for his prowess as a pianist, composer, songwriter, performer, and multi-instrumentalist.

Ben Lee (born September 11, 1978 in Sydney, Australia) is a ARIA Award winning Jewish-Australian musician and actor. Lee began his career as a musician at the age of 14 with the Sydney band Noise Addict, but focused on his solo career when the band broke up.

Nappy Roots is an American alternative Southern rap sextet that originated in Kentucky in 1995 and is best known for its hit 2002 single "Awnaw (ft. Jazze Pha)". The group consists of Oakland, California native R. Prophet, Milledgeville, Georgia native Fishscales and Kentucky natives Skinny DeVille, B. Stille, Ron Clutch, and Big V. Their debut album Country Fried Cess was released in 1999, which led to their being signed by Atlantic Records. Their first album on the label was 2002's Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz. The album featured the singles "Headz up", "Awnaw", and "Po' Folks". Their next album with Atlantic was Wooden Leather, released in 2003, featured the singles "Roun' the Globe" which was featured on Madden 2004, and "Sick and Tired" (featuring Anthony Hamilton).

Michael Franti is an American poet, musician, and composer of African, American Indian, Italian, and German descent. Franti is the creator and driving force behind Michael Franti & Spearhead, a band that blends hip hop with a variety of other styles including funk, reggae, jazz, folk, and rock. He is also an outspoken supporter for a wide spectrum of peace and social justice issues.

Cross Canadian Ragweed is an alternative country band of the Red Dirt scene, formed in Yukon, Oklahoma, in 1994. It is composed of founder/drummer Randy Ragsdale, frontman/guitarist Cody Canada, rhythm guitarist Grady Cross, and bassist Jeremy Plato.

Dierks Bentley is an American country music singer-songwriter. After years of playing various local venues, Dierks was discovered and signed to Capitol Records in 2003, making his debut that year with the single "What Was I Thinkin'", which reached Number One on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks (now Hot Country Songs) charts that year. The single was included on his self-titled debut album, also released in 2003; both it and its follow-up, 2005's Modern Day Drifter, were certified platinum in the United States.

Augustana is an American rock band that was originally formed when its first members met at Greenville College in Greenville, Illinois. The new group was officially formed in California in 2004. Their first major-label album, All the Stars and Boulevards, catapulted them into the spotlight. The band is perhaps best known for their single, Boston, the music video for which features the lead singer on a beach full of pianos.

Boys Like Girls is a four-piece American pop punk band from Boston, Massachusetts. The group completed nationwide tours with Cute Is What We Aim For, Hit the Lights and Butch Walker and topped the Top Unsigned Artist chart on PureVolume, within a few months from forming in late 2005. In August 2006 they released their debut album, Boys Like Girls via Columbia Records/Red Ink. On March 17, 2007, it was announced that the band was voted 2006 Artist of the Year by the readers of Spin.

Regina Spektor is a Soviet-born American singer-songwriter and pianist. Her music is associated with the anti-folk scene centered on New York City's East Village. Spektor possesses a broad vocal range and uses the full extent of it. She also explores a variety of different and somewhat unorthodox vocal techniques, such as verses composed entirely of buzzing noises made with the lips and beatbox-style flourishes in the middle of ballads, and also makes use of such unusual musical techniques as using a drum stick to tap rhythms on the body of the piano or chair. Part of her style also results from the exaggeration of certain aspects of vocalization, most notably the glottal stop, which is prominent in the single "Fidelity."

BJ NOVAK is the co-producer, writer, and actor from NBC’s Emmy Award-winning show The Office. He is best known for playing Ryan Howard in the popular television series and won a Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award in 2006 for Best Ensemble – Comedy Series. Before writing for The Office, Novak also wrote for the WB series Raising Dad and was Ashton Kutcher’s sidekick in season 2 of MTV’s Punk’d. As a comedian, he has performed on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, as well as Comedy Central’s Premium Blend. Novak attended Harvard University and grew up with John Krasinski, who plays Jim Halpert in The Office.

DAN MINTZ, a comedian known for his deadpan delivery, will be opening the show. Mintz has written for Comedy Central’s Crank Yankers, Last Call with Carson Daly, and The Andy Milonakis Show. He has appeared on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and has recently been working with comedian Demetri Martin on an upcoming Comedy Central show.

From humble beginnings, big things have started to happen. Pablo, now an LA resident, has been featured in his own half-hour stand-up special Comedy Central Presents…Pablo Francisco, can be heard on Fox’s animated feature The Family Guy, and has been seen on Showtime’s Full Frontal Comedy, Comedy Central’s Short Attention Span Theater and Make Me Laugh. He has performed at the 1998 Montreal Just For Laughs Comedy Festival, and was cast member on Fox Network’s sketch show MadTV. He also served as the national spokesman for Churches Chicken and appeared in a series of national pre-movie commercials for “Coca-Cola” which stars Pablo as the concession guy.

Pablo is currently busy distinguishing himself in top clubs around the country. His latest credits include a set on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Pablo’s half hour special Comedy Central Presents…Pablo Francisco also continues to be a favorite of the Comedy Central Network. In March 2003, following the success of his two comedy CDs, “Knee to The Groin” and “Sausage,” Pablo released his third CD “Pablo 3.”

OK Go is a rock band originally from Chicago, now residing in Los Angeles. The band is notable for their unusual dress sense and their energetic music videos—in particular, those for their two most successful singles, "A Million Ways" and "Here It Goes Again." The latter won a Grammy Award for "Best Short-Form Music Video" in 2007.

Established in 1954, Major Attractions is a committee of the Duke University Union, a student-led programming body. Our purpose is to bring major musical and comedic acts to campus. As students, we strive to showcase a diverse selection of performers and to produce quality, professional shows. Major Attractions has been responsible for bringing artists of the caliber of The Beatles, Bruce Springsteen, and Simon and Garfunkel.

The Hush Sound is an indie quartet from Chicago, Illinois. The band consists of Bob Morris on vocals and guitar, Chris Faller on bass and vocals, Darren Wilson on drums and vocals, and Greta Salpeter on vocals and piano.

Brad Corrigan (aka Braddigan) is of Dispatch fame, a 3x platinum jam band that achieved worldwide fame with their hits “The General” and “Time Served.” They produced 4 studio albums; their 1996 album Silent Steeples was certified triple platinum. In 2002, their farewell concert in Boston became the largest in independent music history, with an estimated audience of 110,000. In 2007, Dispatch played a series of reunion shows to benefit Zimbabwe, and they sold out 3 nights in a row at Madison Square Garden. Few know that Brad actually started his career with his band, One Fell Swoop, right here in Durham at Cosmic Cantina on Ninth Street!

ABOUT THE EVENT:

The benefit concert headlined by Braddigan will also feature videos and high profile speakers in order to address a Duke community issue - drug & alcohol awareness - in a unique and engaging way. Braddigan will be performing both acoustic and full band sets, and Coach Cutcliffe's appearance will be a sit-down Q&A on stage about drug/alcohol and tailgate issues he has seen as a coach.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS:

Brandon Busteed (Trinity ’99) is a former Duke Young Trustee and DSG President. He is the founder and CEO of the online drug/alcohol education company Outside The Classroom and started the AlcoholEdu program that all entering freshmen at Duke and many other colleges must complete. He is currently serving on the Board of Governors of the Entrepreneurs' Foundation of New England and the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy Board of Visitors at Duke University.

Coach David Cutcliffe is the new head football coach at Duke. He has 34 years of coaching experience and has been head coach at Ole Miss and offensive coordinator at Tennessee (where he won a national championship). He has coached the likes of Eli Manning, Peyton Manning, Erik Ainge, and Brady Quinn.

Dashboard Confessional (full band), led by Chris Carrabba, is known for their soul-baring songs and dynamic live performances. The band's 2004 single "Vindicated" was featured on the Spiderman 2 soundtrack and peaked at #2 on the Modern Rock Tracks chart; other popular singles include "Hands

Down," "Rapid Hope Loss," and "Stolen." Dashboard has been featured on MTV Unplugged and has won an MTV2 award at the MTV Video Music Awards for "Screaming Infidelities." They have sold out Madison Square Garden before, and this show is especially exciting and unique because the full Dashboard Confessional band has not performed in the Triangle area in several years.

Dashboard started out in Boca Raton, Florida, with simply Carrabba, his guitar, and his intimate lyrics. His first two albums, Swiss Army Romance and The Places You Have Come to Fear the Most (#1 on Billboard's Top Heatseekers Chart) gained such widespread popularity that a band was formed around him. Since then, Dashboard's other albums include A Mark, A Missions, A Brand, A Scar, Dusk and Summer, and The Shade of Poison Trees.

Cobalt and the Hired Guns, a rock band from Chicago, is a boot-stompin', tambourine-shakin', irresistibly genuine good time. Seamlessly blending upbeat genres from Americana to Ska, this dynamic four piece puts on a rambunctious show filled with sharp musicianship and emotion. Cobalt and the Hired Guns is about love and guts, energy and enthusiasm - refusing to pretend they aren't having fun about "love and guts, energy and enthusiasm." They will be opening the show.

From the streets of Washington, D.C, Wale first gained fame in 2006 when his record “Dig Dug” made him the first local artist to get in regular rotation on local DC radio in years. Since then, he has released five widely recognized mixtapes like “The Mixtape About Nothing” with its Seinfeld themed cover and “Back To The Feature” where his star power comes into play by holding his own with Bun B, Talib Kweli, and Joell Ortiz helped him grab the attention of Hip Hop audience. Lead by the Lady Gaga assisted single “Chillin’”, hear him perform live before his debut album “Attention Deficit” is released on October 20, 2009.

Opening the show is Fayetteville, North Carolina’s J. Cole. After discovering his passion for rapping at the age of 12. After begging his mother for a beat machine, he spent all his free time creating his own sounds and songs that would later lay the foundation for his unique style. He attended St. John's University on an academic scholarship, choosing the school so that he could be in the heart of the music industry: New York City. J. Cole will soon drop his debut mixtape, properly titled "The Come Up" hosted by DJ On Point. A mash up of dusty, soul filled sound beds, raw, energetic drums.

Headlining the show this year will be rock/funk/hip hop collaboration N*E*R*D. Originally a side project of The Neptunes, Grammy-winning producer Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo formed N*E*R*D with Shay Haley in 2001. Their debut album “In Search Of….” was certified gold by the RIAA and was followed up by “Fly or Die” in 2004 and “Seeing Sounds” in 2008. Recently, N*E*R*D. has toured with Kanye West, opened for JayZ, and collaborated with artists such as Santogold among others. The group’s forth album titled “Instant Gratification” is slated for a 2010 release. When asked about his band, Pharrell Wiliams has said: “N*E*R*D stands for No One Ever Really Dies. It's our life. N*E*R*D is just a basic belief. People's energies are made of their souls. When you die, that energy may disperse but it isn't destroyed. Energy cannot be destroyed. It can manifest in a different way but even then it's like their souls are going somewhere. If it's going to heaven or hell or even if it's going into a fog or somewhere in the atmosphere to lurk unbeknownst to itself, it's going somewhere."

Supporting N*E*R*D. will be Grammy-nominated hip hop artist Kid Cudi. In 2009, his single “Day ‘n Nite” reached the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 and R&B/Hip-Hop charts. His debut album “Man on the Moon: The End of the Day” was released in 2009 and reached #4 on charts. Kid Cudi has collaborated with artists Jay-Z, Snoop Dogg, Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, and Common.